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Let me start with I tentatively agree that transfer rules should not be a part of the autonomy discussion/vote. However, there is a big picture that all parties involved need at least begin to understand and develop. We are clearly at a crossroads/juncture/fork in the road. The Power5, & I suspect all the lesser conferences along with the NCAA know this. What they do not know is how to go about forming the future. How do you create something that currently does not exist?

Technology talking heads use the word "disruption" to describe how a new technology, like the Ipad or the internet of things, or 3D printing are changing the way people & companies interact. Big Box stores were disruptive to the existing business model for brick-and-mortar businesses, likewise Amazon.com has proven disruptive to the Big Box model. We college football fans are sitting here witnessing what will prove to be the single most disruptive change in our beloved sport since the introduction of the forward pass.

While College administrators & athletics directors are mulling over just how they are going to protect & expand their financial empire - and anyone that thinks this isn't all about money & who gets how much, leave now - they might just want to head over to the College of Business and have a sit down with the professors teaching operations management - particularly the guy that is excited about Goldratt's Theory of Constraints. There, they will get an enlightening education into Socratic thinking and future reality trees.

I can only hope that someone in the room creating the new model for major college football will be wise enough to call on Jonah.

@Bobo2468 Don't know if their 2015 schedules mesh to allow it, but I'd prefer Mizzou vs Bama as a nonconference game to any of the FCS opponents Bama has played since, 1970 (sorry folks I just wasn't into football when I was 4)

I know this site is primarily & secondly a football site with a bit of in-season roundball banter and the occasional shout out on other sports but since the name is "Mr. SEC" implying this is the best source for all things SEC related, just wanted to make sure your 6/2 headlines include a little something that transpired over the weekend and sets up a nice little championship series beginning tonight.

The NCAA Women's Softball World Series began out in Oklahoma City last week. On Sunday, first the Florida Gators took care of business and then the Alabama Crimson Tide decided to join them to make history as the first ever paring of two SEC teams in the championship best-of-three series with first pitch tonight just after 7:00pm Central time.

Now I realize mostly men follow this site and if the ladies ain't wearin' somethin' skimpy, we don't get too excited. But lets' go Mr. SEC - Fall camp is nearly three months away & you gotta be searching for stories a bit now that the spring meeting has wrapped. Let's give the Lady Gators & Lady Tide their due. Both teams have played outstanding seasons and have just dominated their opponents in OKC. Two of the best pitchers in the game right out on the same field squaring off to see which team will bring the 2014 title back to SEC territory.

Last time two SEC teams met for a national title, it was a low-scoring defensive battle ultimately won by the team that played better offense. THAT game gave us the forthcoming Football playoff. Softball already uses a playoff format so chances are, future bracketing will attempt to keep all the SEC teams on one side of the bracket in order to minimize the likelihood of another all SEC final.

There has been a power struggle between the SEC & the Big Ten for quite a while. Ditto SEC vs PAC12. It's a given then that the jockeying for position will continue as will the power struggle. This is akin to Vegas' high stakes poker. Slive (SEC), Delaney (B10), Swafford (ACC), Scott (P12), Bowlsby (B12), & Swarbrick (ND) know the stakes better than anyone & while Slive has been winning the most hands lately (in football), nobody's taken a definitive lead yet.

Coaches are mercenaries. Seriously, they are loyal to the university that is paying them. Until they are not. When they accept what they perceive as a better deal, they're gone & will pillage and plunder their previous employer for assistants, staff, and yes players. Why? because they can and as Mr Franklin stated, their job is to produce wins for their current employer, not the one they just bolted from.

Saban, Kiffin, Spurrier, Franklin, name any coach who hasn't picked up his playbook and skeedadled to another gig, bringing with him people he knew. Love your current coach or hate him, his job is to bring wins to your school. Wins means more money, and every university wants Mo Money.

I am an Alabama fan. Win, Loose, good season, bad season, Through the end of The Bears' run to the night at the FlorBama lounge and through Mike Shula's turmulus tenure, Never wavering, never doubting. And even with the man considered the greatest college coach in America at this time, Forbes most powerful, Nick Saban at the helm, It is Alabama I pull for, not the head coach.

I am sure that this will come up again and again during the off season but I still wanted to sound off so here goes, Les Miles, you officially have no gripes regarding SEC scheduling and permanent cross-division rivals. Your permanent rival just finished dead last in the SEC East. The team that finished dead last in the entire conference in 2012, Auburn, just won the SECCG and is heading to Pasadena with a chance at the very last BCS title ever.

MrSEC has rightly stated on numerous occasions that things are not static in this conference, Auburn & Mizzou just provided a seasons' worth of evidence as to how this conference can flip, and flip quickly. I congratulate both of the Tigers on their 2013. Simply outstanding.

Yes, Florida will be back. Yes, LSU has fallen from title contender to middle-of-the-pack. While both teams experienced significant success in the last decade, & each had to face the other while both were at their best, I'd say Les has more to worry about than the Gators showing up on his schedule each year.

Some schools expand their brand with gimmicks. Alabama has been pretty successful expanding their brand merely by being the last team standing following the conclusion of the post season in 3 of the last 4 years. Gimmicks are easier.

First, let me state that I enjoy watching Johnny play football. He's an electrifying athlete. However, the fact that MrSEC has dedicated an entire headline section to "Johnny Football" just shows how the media loves a story.

Sumlin has thus far failed to "reign in" Johnny. Sumlin's meteoric rise in coaching has placed him in a high profile, high pressure situation where the expectation for on field success outweighs good sense. My guess is that the university & their lawyers are weighing the evidence against Mr. Manziel and trying to ascertain the degree to which his eligibility will be impacted.

Assuming his friend/"manager" took $10k on his behalf, would the NCAA agree to a 2-game suspension & repaying the 10k (or donating it to charity) along with perhaps some community service? Or is there sufficient evidence for the NCAA to go for the jugular and end his college career altogether?

A 2-game suspension brings Johnny Football back in time for the big bash with Bama and the Aggies can probably handle Rice & Sam Houston without the Heisman winner.

I am a Crimson Tide fan through & through. It is my most sincere hope that Jphnny Manziel did not break the NCAA rules. He is an exciting and dynamic player who has the ability to take over a game. A joy to watch (though I cringed when he made plays outta nothin' against Bama last year), should he loose eligibility or have to sit through a suspension, there would be something amiss with both A&M and all of college football in 2013.

Of course, I also want to see Bama beat the crap outta him and the Aggies - just wouldn't be the same if he's not the QB.

It's not the "fast" teams sustaining more injuries because of their tempo, it is their opponents, who are not accustomed/acclimated/trained to play at the higher tempo who are more likely to sustain injury. Or at least that's how I read the comments from Bielema, Saban, and others who have brought up the issue.

While the analysis seems reasonable, given the overall lack of transparency and the available data set, what is needed is a review of injuries sustained by opponents of the HUNH, not the HUNH teams themselves.

There is certainly a lot of talk coming outta TAMU & Johnny Heisman has clearly taken a shine to the spotlight. His disdain for the loss of annonimity though is baffling. While his off-season has been entertaining, his 15 minutes of fame is destined for a tragic ending me thinks.

Well, this could be an interesting bet. Vegas is showing some consternation over the 9ers due to some key off season injuries. Looks right now like they are good for 11-12 wins which puts this bet into winnable territory for Bama. But it also demands near perfection outta the Tide where as the 9ers would only need to win 75% of the time to clinch the bet. Unless the wheels come off in SF, put your money on the 49ers.

At least this bet is a realistic comparison of the Crimson Tide and the NFL, unlike the stupidity last fall suggesting that Alabama could beat an NFL franchise. (of course, there is that "Any Given Sunday").

With somewhere in the neighborhood of 130 FBS schools, it is high time the SEC at the very least, stopped scheduling scrimmages against FCS opponents. Heck, the top half of the league plays a more competitive team when going against it's own practice squad!

The ONLY excuse with any shred of validity for scheduling a FCS opponent is that said opponent is an in-state, state supported institution therefore the cash payment to that institution remains within the state. When Florida used to be chided for not leaving the state for a road game before November, they were at least helping support state funded colleges within their own state. A fact that should not be lost on Florida tax payers. (Yes, I'm an accountant).

Even so, this is still a lame excuse as most states within the SEC footprint have at least one or two FBS programs that fit the "Cannon fodder" definition of MrSEC. I would suggest that the league adopt a scheduling policy of 9 league games following the 6-1-2 format where the two rotating cross-division opponents rotate annually. That puts the reciprocal game 4-years out and ensures that everyone plays everyone within a 4-year cycle. Yes, you'll see some teams your senior year that you saw your freshman year, but if you redshirted, you didn't play them then anyway. This would leave open 3 non conference slots to fill. One should come from a top-tier conference. the other two, from FBS programs located within the SEC footprint. Playing your two "Cannon fodder" games against schools within the footprint helps to "give back to the community" the dollars go back to communities where the SEC dominates anyway.

At least Bob Stoops has a winning record as a head coach. I have respect for Bob Stoops and can appreciate what he said. The truth is, the traditional cellar-dwellers in the SEC aren't any better than the best teams in any other league.

Isn't that what he said?

Charlie couldn't hack it @ ND and was looking for a way outta Gainsville before getting canned when Kansas came calling. Bet the AD at UK would like to have that one back...

@ConnGator@WillieT I think it is difficult for leagues to put such a challenge together given that OOC scheduling has historically been left to the schools. Besides, would you really want to see your Gators face their regular SEC gauntlet with LSU from the West AND Bama from the west while also playing Texas or Oregon? OK, YEA, you'd love to SEE it but would coaches really want to do that? Realistically, I'd say if they don't think they need the added SOS, they'd rather opt out and play La Tech.

I am not sold on the 9-game conference schedule. While there are ups & downs with every team and within every conference, when you look at those programs that are currently at the top and competing for the BCS championship, THOSE teams are playing 8 league games & usually at least one quality non-conference game (at least attempting to with a marquee opponent). You think UGA wants to play 9 league games, plus Ga Tech, plus the SECCG just for a chance @ the BCSNCG (or playoffs)?

With all due respect to coach Saban (Roll Tide!), Bama's got Ole Miss & MSU on the slate every year. Please, I'm not dissing on the teams from Mississippi, but historically, they've been on the bottom half of the SEC. Adding a 9th means Bama would play, from the east UT plus potentially TWO of the other East powers, same as before expanding to 14 teams. In seasons where they potentially play two of the East weaker programs, Bama could still consider going out and scheduling a neutral site game against say Oklahoma or Nebraska or Michigan or Ohio State to bolster their strength of schedule. UK may not be UTC or North Texas (historically speaking) but with an eye toward the playoffs & national title implications, Coach Saban's support for a 9-game league schedule actually makes his job easier. 3 or 4 years out of 7, you have quality league games (from a SOS standpoint) which means only having to line up 3 or 4 quality OOC games during that stretch.

From the standpoint of the lower half of the SEC, not so much. While EVERY program wants to put a quality product on the field (better games => better fan support => better booster support => more revenue), no one seriously wants to watch their team get beaten and beaten up time and time again. Call 'em patsies if you want, but struggling programs need a little more scheduling flexibility.

Consider UK. Coach Stoops is going to work his hind end off to build a winning program that can compete for the SEC East and conference crowns. Right now, he needs to bag some wins. UK fans don't seriously expect the Wildcast to defeat USC, UF, or UGA in 2013. But in 2014? Maybe not a win but certainly they'd like to see them put a scare into one of the east powerhouses and by 2016, a "Signature win" will be needed if Stoops is to continue hauling in quality recruiting classes. Realistically, if Stoops can lay the foundation and start getting those wins, then UK can work on strengthening their OOC schedule. I'll bet UK fans would be down right full of themselves if in 2017 Stoops has the Wildcats in the SECCG. They wouldn't even need to be competitive in that game - just be IN IT! If playing three patsies makes that possible, then go for it.

All in all, I think that if the league remains at 8 games, those programs hoping to make the playoffs will find a way to strengthen their schedules with quality OOC opponents. Those that are more concerned with just making it to a bowl game, will schedule accordingly.

Great Idea. Consider as well the new SEC Network that is in the works. This would be great content. Other schools could work up similar games. Think Mizzou vs Bama or Kentucky vs LSU all in the Bluff city, maybe even on the same weekend.

After talking to several UT fans, it seems to me that they are satisfied with the way the offense has performed. While not outstanding, it is definitely capable of putting up points on just about anyone. So while folk around Knoxville may not be happy with Dooley, they seem to want to keep Jim Cheney. From a defensive standpoint, fans seem to like Sal Sunseri. They seem to understand the difficulty in transitioning to the 3-4 defense and so I'd say the jury is still out on coach Sal. What fans DO seem to realize is that if you change head coaches and bring in a completely new offense & defense, the turmoil could be more harmful to the program and result in even further degradation.

So the real question is this. What exactly is the problem with Dooley? Is it lack of discipline? Is it organizational? Is he just in over his head?

Dave Hart is definitely in a pickle. Let's assume that the decision is that Dooley must go, But we'd prefer to keep Cheney & Sunseri. Most Head coaches would prefer to bring in their own guys as assistants. People they've worked with and trust. At least on one side of the ball anyway. So, I'll float a name - Kirby Smart, Defensive coordinator at Alabama.

Hart knows Smart. Smart knows Sal. Smart will only leave Bama for a HC position. Smart knows the SEC. Saban has a tremendous amount of confidence in Smart. The question mark on Smart is how would he be different than Dooley, another former Saban assistant?

Interesting tidbit, The four teams with the highest seconds-per-play (MSU, USC, Ala, UF) are all undefeated & at the top of their respective divisions. Three of the four are ranked in the top 5 nationally. True, it will be interesting to see how this plays out over the remainder of the season.

It's funny and a bit sad the way you guys in the press (and commenters on boards) keep reminding us of Nick Saban's statement while at the Dolphins. I've got a life so I won't bother researching just how many coaches have denied interest in another position only to accept that position moments (hours, days) later. I will say that it is silly and a waste of time to ask an active coach (you know, one that has a job as a coach) if he'd be interested in coaching at this or that school.

All-in-all, I'd say i agree with your article. True, you have received some rather silly questions. I actually commented yesterday on the announcement of the ND/ACC compact and stated there that this move would not lead to the SEC expanding.

I'm actually commenting because of the mention of the phrase "fair to midland". Are yunz from England or maybe Texas? ('cause those are the only places I'm aware of where folk can't say "fair to middling" or "fair to middlin'"

I guess now that the SEC stretches well into the Lone Star state, those of us from the Ol' South will have to get used to such nonsense...

Well, someone asked if the ACC would now go looking for #16. I think the answer is no, at least not until ND decides to marry their football team to the league. Football revenue drives the bus. Period. A 15-team ACC basketball schedule will have to be hashed out but my guess is there won't be a 16th team added till the BigEast totally collapses.

As for the SEC staying at 14, I'd say definitely for the time being. ND's decision isn't the disruptive force some would like to think it is. Besides, getting comfortable with a 14 team league has already created a number of growing pains for the league and I doubt anyone in Birmingham, or the respective university presidents, have any appetite for growing again so soon.

But as a disclaimer, anything could happen. Greed is driving the bus now and greed needs money like a crack-addict needs cocaine.

The leagues are clearly trying to change the rules. The Big12 ran it's own championship game for what, a dozen years or so & the SEC has managed to run a league championship game for two decades. My guess is that the SEC has a pretty good deal in Atlanta and that the leagues would rather run the game themselves and keep the money to themselves. What they have done is thrown the existing bowl comittees a bone and an option - come up with a creative plan that justifies your existence beyond ownership of a "Bowl" name (which has been diminished these last 20 odd years by adding or out right replacing it with your latest corporate sponsors' name).

Oh sure, we fans have a bit of nostalga for the Sugar Bowl & the Cotton Bowl, but trust me, we'll still buy tickets to the M&M Mars bowl being held in Topeka, KS if it's pitting two of the best teams in the nation against one another.

Aw you Guys! You almost, ALMOST, get it. It's just, right there, just outta reach for you even though you wrote it into your posting. #2 of your 3 points. Then you go on to provide #3 showing that you've gotten your panties in a wad.

Clearly, Saban DOES appreciate the media and the platform they provide for him to speak to his players. Clearly, he is appreciative of the opportunities the media provides for him to appear nationally to recruits and to present the Alabama program to those recruits in a manner that perhaps other institutions do not enjoy quite as often.

Is it that you guys in the media actually don't like being used (abused) by Saban in his relentless drive to recruit & teach the best players and constantly improve the program he leads? Perhaps that explains why you had to add your #3 "thing (that) stand(s) out"

In any event, I do love MrSEC and what you guys do (most of the time). All I can say is you have a job to do and I know Saban doesn't make it easy for you or on you. Thank you, for what you do.

UT has a much better/deeper roster than in the last three years. I think everyone has finally bought into the program and what Dooley is trying to do/build. Certainly, looking/contacting PSU players is a smart thing to do though. Picking up a top-notch player in any position that might be a little short on depth (hey, not even a team like LSU or Bama is deep enough at every position!) would be a smart move for any program. Key is that it is someone who will be a team player and buy into the Dooley way of doing business.

Of course, the Vols have that coaching "hot seat" issue that could make PSU players with options look elsewhere. I mean, after going through what they've been through, why go to a program with some serious question marks surrounding it's coaching situation?

Sounds like the PAC found the deal to bee a bit too much so I would imagine the B1G might just look for another partner. The BigEast could certainly use the exposure but partnering with a sinking ship doesn't sound like something the B1G would do.

Here's an idea - why not cut a deal with the SEC so that both leagues can have 9 BCS level opponents each year. (Oh, I really can't see Delany giving Slive a call to test the waters on that idea but for a second there, I was intrigued by the idea of Florida playing at Iowa in November..,)

Well, I personally take comfort in the tradition of Excellence at the University of Alabama that assures me that I will always be able to recognize the team running out onto the field at Bryant-Denny (or any venue the Crimson Tide visits).

When you count 14 National Championships, have arguably one of the best coaching staffs in college football, a reputation for preparing players for the next level, and some of the best barbque in the nation (props to Dreamland!), you really don't need some flashy unis to lure recruits.

@Dynamite fan Mizzou adds another solid team to the mix in basketball. While those of us from the SEC feel that our league is "top tier" in hoops, people outside the league still think we're just a football league that happens to play basketball. The league has generally been Kentucky, then a big gap, then everyone else. Yes Florida has been strong under Donnovan, but look at the last couple of years and they've fallen back into the pack.

Mizzou & A&M add strength to the league in football and basketball, (and baseball, and other sports).

Yep, I'd have to agree - Slive botched this opportunity big-time. On a positive(?) note, expansion this summer, or next, could throw things back into the furnace for a do-over.

IF...

The oligarchs of the FBS decide upon a playoff format that does not include the 4 best teams in the country (I know, best as determined by whom?), will that cause some institutions to start looking harder at greener pastures? Let's face it, if you've got a 1 loss or better SEC champ, a 1 loss or better Big12, a 1 loss or better PAC12, and a 1 loss or better Notre Dame, would an unbeaten FSU get the fourth spot in the playoff?

Mizzou adds credible roundball chops to the league. The SEC can now claim to be a top-tier basketball league, right along with the BigEast, Big10, & ACC. Especially considering some of the "quality" basketball schools the BigEast recently added.

The SEC can now boast solid academics, again thanks to Mizzou. Maybe adding NC State isn't so far-fetched any more. Ditto Va Tech. Obviously contingent upon an FSU departure for the Big12 (or even the SEC).

So, while the SEC clearly botched a golden opportunity here in 2012, who's to say they can't right the ship in 2013 or 2014.

Suppose the whole playoff thingy blows up. the vote is split, no compromise worked out, kaput.

Does the BCS end in 2013? No more crystal football? no more bcs ranking? Could we actually go BACKWARD to the wonderfully wild way it was in history past where we have an AP champ, an Coaches poll champ, and oh maybe 3 or 4 other champs? Split national titles, chaos in spades?

That'd make the SEC Big12 game something special wouldn't it! Currently these two leagues are favored to place more teams in the top 5 than anyone else. Might even set up dualing bowls where the Rose & "Champs" each have a #1 playing a #2

Ah, the possibilities.

Personally, if the final four is not 1-2-3-4, then chaos is the best option. One or two seasons of chaos and these presidents would probably get their act together and set up a playoff using 1-2-3-4.

With all due respect to the oligarchs of college football & the SEC in particular, a 9-game conference schedule in the SEC should be implemented for all the reasons MrSEC has pointed out. Probably there are a few other good reasons to do it. Weigh these against the limited reasons for sticking with 8 and most objective people would agree that 9 games is the way to go.

I apologize in advance for asking this but honestly, I cannot remember the year. Could someone please reply and tell me the last time Notre Dame fielded a team that could legitimately be considered a "difficult" game? 1997? 1994? More than 20 years ago?

"The first time somebody’s best team gets knocked out of a four-team playoff because they lost their championship game to a 7-5 team or 8-4 team, we’ll see how long they want to keep a championship game"

Now, there's a statement that not only support's the Big12's position on expansion but also on it's position for the football final four being the top four teams in the country, not conditional upon being a conference champion. Imaging having an 8-5 conference champion playing while the conference runner-up sits home or plays in the Band-aid Bowl (or what ever corporate sponsor get's their name on it next year).

My suggestion however is no less absurd than Mr Spurrier's. I wasn't considering traditional rivalries. I still cannot fathom seeing Bama play Tennessee every year and it count for nothing more than braggin' rights.

Well, it's more difficult now but still doable. The SEC has 14 teams. With the championship game, two teams will play 13 games anyway so, why not

1. eliminate the divisions

2. eliminate the conference championship game

3. play a 13-game league schedule

Every team in the SEC plays every other team in the league.

No more playing creme-puffs to bolster the ole' win column.

No complaining that one team or another has an easier league schedule.

No more not wanting to play Florida as cross-divisional rival.

Mizzou still plays A&M and can continue recruiting in Texas.

True, the best league in the country would beat up upon itsself. In the end, if the champion of the SEC goes 13-0 against the likes of AL, AU, AK, FL, GA, UK, LSU, A&M, SC, TN, MU, UM, MSU, & VANDY then they will no doubt be in the Football Final Four, regardless of format.

So, hypothetically, let's assume in 1990 FSU decided to join the SEC. What happens to the SEC - They still need either USC or Arky to get to 12. Probably they nab Arky (better football, better basketball thanks to Nolan Richardson). South Carolina remains in the ACC and really never amounts to much more than an also ran (let's face it, SEC $$s is what brought in Lou Holtz & Steve Spurrier)

Since the ACC still wanted to get to 12 they'd still hand out the same invites in 2004 and the BigE would still be looking at a hodge-podge of a mess.

Now, let's assume the dollars continue to drive the bus. Do Colorado & Nebraska still make their moves to the Pac12 & BigTen? Probably. Does the Big12 still face it's summer of discontent? of course. Does Texas A&M come callin' in B'ham? most likely.

So, we'd still have reached the end of the 2011 season looking at a 13 team SEC needing a dance partner. The ACC would likely still have snagged the same two from the BigEast, in a preemptive strike. Who does the SEC go after if not Mizzou? USC? Hardly. Clemson would look better but a better population base in Missouri or North Carolina or Virginia would make schools from those states more attractive. With the Big12 still teetering, my guess is Mizzou would still contact Mike Slive's league and gain an invite.

So, the circle would still have turned round. Difference is the SEC would have FSU and the ACC would have USC.

I know Slive and the boys in the SEC are not interested in expanding beyond 14 teams at this juncture, and I know there are some hard feelings regarding FSU from 22 years ago. But business is business and when opportunity presents itsself, good businessmen make good decisions for their business. FSU is still a national brand & brings value. With SEC type money, they'd be back in the hunt for titles pretty quickly. Analysis done by MrSEC in the last couple of years indicates they would be a good fit for the SEC. On top of that, extending an invite, and gaining the Seminoles keeps the Big12 OUT of one of the nations' hottest recruiting beds while strengthening the SEC's position and weakening the ACC's position.

Only problem I see is coming up with a 15 team, 2-division schedule OR one more dance partner.

Lots of things going on across college football. Mike Slive is a shrewd businessman & his legal training & history have honed his skill at deception while keeping him focused on securing a favorable outcome for his clients, namely, the SEC.

Slive has moved deliberately and has increased the value of the league exponentially. It hasn't hurt that the likes of LSU, Florida, Auburn, & Alabama have gathered a half-dozen crystal footballs or that UK & Florida have brought home NCAA banners to hang in their basketball arenas.

Expanding into Texas & Missouri added television markets and TV drives revenue. Creating the Southeastern Conference Television Network (SECTV) regardless of the structure, should be a huge cash cow - as long as the league continues to produce a top quality product. We obviously expect this to continue.

Wonder if the SEC can claim breach of contract if CBS continues to balk at renegotiating in good faith under contractual provisions? Could their preferred rights to the best match-up be lost? What else might be at stake?

I personally find CBS's treatment of the SEC game to be insulting. They always assign a lousy broadcast team to this game. Of course, they don't actually have a good broadcast team do they.

In the end, we fans of the SEC should get more and better viewing options with the creation of a new network.

I have my doubts regarding the time line for this thing to play out. Agreeing upon a plan will require quite a bit of arm twisting and back-room dealing and quite frankly, the positions staked out publicly by the various parties make one think those who will decide the fate of major college football ARE congress (Democrats, Republicans, Tea Partiers, et. al.)! Getting agreement on anything will require some compromise and there are some personalities involved who clearly don't include the word in their vocabularies.

So, The BCS ends after the 2013 season contractually. Suppose no new agreement is reached? Suppose we return to the "old" system where every Bowl scrambles to create it's best match-up, no one trying to match #1 & #2 or any deeper.

With the new SEC/Big12 "bowl" (let's call it the "Thorn" bowl since it is clearly intended as a thorn in the side of Jim Delany) what could we expect to see? The Rose would crown a champ of conference champs & the Thorn would crown a champ of conference champs. The polls could then decide if one of these two bowl champs was worthy of their trophy or if some team from a less powerful conference deserved it. Most years, there'd be little argument as to who ended the season #1. Some years, the title would be split. Some years there'd be controversy. It may even play into the SEC's favor to NOT have an agreement in place before the BCS dies. There are a lot of fans around that don't remember the chaos of the preBCS era.

St Louis would be a great place for a "kick-off" game like Atlanta's Chick-fa-lay game and the game coming up at Jerry's world in Dallas (Bama vs Michigan this year). The Atlanta game usually is SEC vs ACC. Dallas looks like a good SEC vs Big10 (everybody wants to recruit Texas!). St Louis would work great with the SEC vs Big12. That would leave one more golden opportunity for an SEC vs Pac12 early season neutral site game. Someone put in a call to Denver.

Either create a credible playoff system (4 teams will still generate controversey), or revert to the pre BCS bowl system, where bowls & their tied-in leagues would scramble to put together the best card they could to generate the most revenue. Go back to the back-room dealing of the 80's & early 90's and let the professional pollsters at the AP & the Coaches poll "select" the team they want to award a trophy to.

Here's a scenario for you - in a 14-team SEC (heck even in a 12 team league) it's not unreasonable to have a 2-loss league champ. In some leagues, a 3 or 4 loss team might win out. What if a league champ, for argument's sake we'll take the SEC, finishes 11-2 but say, the league runner up made it to the championship game undefeated and finishes 12-1. Now the same year, let's think about the new pact between the Pack12 & Big Ten - they've agreed to schedule each of their teams against the other league for at least one non-conference matchup each season. We could see a PACK12 champ limp in at 9-4 who has already beaten the Big Ten champ that maybe finished 10-3. Both leagues might just have other teams finish with better overall records than their league champion but the luck of the draw in scheduling has put them into a quandry. Let's then say the ACC champ finished with 1 loss while Notre Dame managed a respectable 2-loss season & someone like Houston finishes undefeated. ND would'nt be a "conference champion" but you can bet your last dollar they'd be in the Final Four.

Tell me, who would find such a system credible when teams with better overall records and equal or better SOS get left out?

The SEC won't be negotiating from a position of strength. As the apparent two camps square off, of the issues you described, holding firm on choosing the 4 best teams, regardless of conference, should be the "line in the sand"

I know the existing bowls and their maffia, I mean respective committees, have shoveled a lot of serious cash into key influential pockets over the years but it's time to look forward, to where the cash will come from rather than backward.

I agree, going to an 8-team playoff is not going to happen this time. Just too much for the powers-that-be to swallow. So we get a 4 team playoff. Either form a selection committee - like used in basketball, or keep the BCS formula and pick the top 4. Yes, # 5 may have an argument from time to time but it's a bit more muted than the current system where #3 can get screwed.

Allowing only conference champions (obviously with some special ND rule inserted) would lead to another farce of a game. Withe the Pac12/B1G10 pact to play with each other, oops. play each other, one or the other will end up with a conference champ (let's assume B1G10) that barely won it's conference while loosing say 2 non conference games, finishing 7-6 (after the conference championship game). Meanwhile, and let's ignore the SEC for a moment and stick with the aforementioned conferences, you have a team from the PAC12 that finished 12-1, loosing in the championship game, who beat both of the teams that played in the B1G10 championship game. But that PAC12 team doesn't make the final four because they didn't win their conference. Could it happen? absolutely.

Memphis would be a great city for the SEC tourney. St Louis would be as well.

Kansas City would be a problem for attendance. Clearly. But what if Mizzou were to play Texas A&M in KC from time to time, or even Florida? I don't see a lot of Sunshine state residents making the trek to Colombia via interstate anyway. My guess is a lot of SEC-East fans will opt to fly so maybe KC would result in higher attendance for some marquee match-ups in football.

KC should try and host NCAA tourney games & hope to get SEC teams in their region if they want to embrace the SEC.

But then maybe Nick Saban would like to play Mizzou in KC for recruiting exposure....